Drill-tube



P. BOYD AND A. M. SAUNDERSJ DRILL TUBE.

APPLICATION FILED 0cT.11,.1919.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921. I

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P. BOYD AND A. M. SAUNDERS DRILL TUBE.

APPLICATION man OCT. 11, 1919.

Patnted Jan. 4,1921.

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' joints being capable of rethreading a num- I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER BOYD, OF BEAVER, AND AUGUSTUS M. SAUNDERS, OI MGKEESPORT, PENN- SYLVANIA, ASSIGNOBS T0 NATIONAL TUBE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENN SYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 01 NEW JERSEY.

DRILL-TUBE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PETER Born, of Beaver, in the county of Beaver, and AU- GUSTUS M. SAUNDERS, of McKeesport, in the county of Allegheny, both in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drill-Tubes, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to drill tubes used in boring deep wells and formed of a series of detachably connected sections, carrying a boring tool at the lower end. The drill tube is rotated in'practice and is subjected to torsional strains. The common construe tion of tube consists of comparatively short lengths of pipe, two of which are coupled together to constitute each section, and each section of which is connected to the next by a separate device referred to as the tool joint and usually of the box and pin type, Other styles of joint are in use, but this is the commonest form.

According to our Patent No. 1,287,203 the drill tube is made up of tubular sections which are in one piece from end to end. and have their opposite ends shaped to form a box and pin connection whereby the work of the driller is gradually simplified, the

her of times without weakening them and being originally of. the simplest and strongest construction as well as providing a cheaper drill tube than theretofore used, reducing the number of joints and eliminating the welds previously used to obtain heavy ends. Y

The present invention provides a drill tube in which substantially or approxi mately the same advantages are secured -by' constructions differing from that shown in the previous patent and in which a cheap and. strong joint is secured, with long lengths of tubing, without the direct connection of the tube sections to each other.

The accompanying" drawings illustrate embodiments ofthe invention.

Fi ure 1 is anelevation of a drill tube; and igs. 2, 3 and 4 are vertical sections of joints embodying the invention.

Referring to the embodiments of the invention illustrated, each section A, Fig. 1, of the tube extends unbrokenly from one joint B to the next joint C, these joints being made with upset and threaded ends of ment by termediate or between the sections which is I integrally formed with an outside diameter equal to that of the upset ends of the tool sections. The coupling members may'have two opposite pin ends or two opposite box ends or one box end and one pin end, the tube sections being shaped to correspond with the couplingrmember used.

According to ig. 2 the tube section A has a pin end upset both inward and out ward so as to increase the outside'diameter and to decrease the inside diameter, the latter being gradually reduced from that indicated at A for the greater portion'of the section to that shown at the lower end. The outside diameter is increased sufiiciently and then swaged and drawn to leave room for the cutting of the tapered thread or pin D- and to leave a shoulder E for engagethe end of a .box on the intermediate coupling member so as to limit the amountof turning movement of one on the other' in fastening them together and thus prevent stripping or injury to thethreads and also the cracking of one or the other which sometimes occurs with drill tubes because of torsional strains and the rou h handling to which they are subjected. T e tapered face F on the inside of the upset pin end is .approximately parallel to the taper of the thread on the pin D. The-total distance of the upset portion from the shoulder G to the. end is made longer than is necessary for the screw joint initially out. By reason of the surplus length from the end back to the shoulder G the tubes may be re-threaded a number of times when they become worn without weakening the joint. The constant screwing of the sections together as they are lowered into the well and unscrewing them as they are raised wears the threads and they are also sometimes injured in handling so that the possibility of numerous re-threadings is a substantial advantage.

For exam 1e, if the threads first formed on the pin become worn or otherwise in- 55 Y ing a hollow metal tubehaving its ends inthe intermediate couplin jured the pin end may be re-threaded as in dicated in dotted 'line's at H, cutting back the lowerend of the pin to the point K- and carrying the shoulder E back to the point L. By reason of the shape and proportions of the upset end of the section the oint rethreaded in this way is just as goo and just as'strong as'it was initially;

in fact, it is substantially identical with the original joint.

On the upper end of-each pipe section A,

accordin to Fig. 2, it is upset to provide end P of the box may be carried-back to the point Q, leaving a box'which is substantially identical with that initiallvformed,

The intermediate coupling member 2 will not .need upsettingbut can be made of cheap short sections of heavy tubing, its outside diameter being equal to that of .the upset ends of the tube sections. Its upper end will engage the shoulder 12 on the pin end of the tube section. and it will be provided with a shoulder 3 for engagement with the end P of the lower tubesection, the-shoal der 3 being similar to and having the same functions as the shoulder 15.. The member 2 will also be 'so' proportioned that its threads can be re-cut as indicated at t and 5 respectively and its ends similarly cut down. I Y

According to Fig. 3 each tube section is provided with two box ends, and the inter: mediate member 2* is provided with two pin ends, the proportions and functions of the parts being otherwise the same as in Fig. 2. And according to Fig. teach pipe section is' provided with two pin ends and member 2 is provided with two boxends, the proportions here being also-similar to those of FigQQ and the functions of the; differ-entparts bein the'same. Vhatwe claim is: ,1. An improved drill tube composed of sections"extending continuously front one tool jointto the next. each sectioncompristegral'ly shaped and threaded to form parts of tapered threaded box and pin joints, the ends being upsetoutward to form shoulders for engagement by the lifting or other tools, in='combination with an intermediatecoin pling member having its ends threaded for ei'iga gementwith the ends of said tube sections, the coupling memberbeing integrally formed with an outside diameter equal to parts together and prevent splitting of the H box end and undue strain on the threads iii-screwing the parts together.

2. An improved drill tube composed of sections extending continuously from one tool joint to the next, each section comprising a hollow metal tube having its ends integrally shaped and threaded to form parts of taperedthreaded box and pin joints, the ends being upset outward to form shoulders for engagement by the lifting or other tools, in combination with an intermediate coupling member having its ends threaded for engagement with the ends of said tube sections, the coupling member being integrally formed with an outside diameter equal .to that of the upset ends of the tube sections, the pin end for each of the threaded connections having a shoulder to be engaged by the box end to limit the movement of the parts together and prevent splitting of the box end and undue strain on the threads in screwing the parts together. the ends of the pipes being also upset inward and fora length greater than is required for the joint when new so that new threads may be formed when the initial threads wear out and may be extended farther into the upset portions and the outer ends of said upset portions removed. thus providing a new joint practically identical with the original one.

3.. An improved drill tube composed of sections extending continuously from one tool joint to the next, each section comprising a hollow metal tube having its ends integrally shaped and threaded to form parts of tapered threaded joints of the box and pin type, the ends being upset outward to form shoulders for engagement by the liftingv or other tools, incombination with an intermediate coupling member having its ends threaded for engagement withthe ends of said tube sections,the'jcoupling member beingfintegrally formed with an outside diameter equal to that of the upset endsof the tube sections, the pin end for each of the threaded connections having a shoulder to :be engaged bythe box end of the joint to limit the movement of theparts' together and prevent splitting, of the'box end and undue strain on the threads in screwing the parts together, o

In witness. whereof, we have hereunto signed our names. I

-' PETER BOYD.

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